Journal

[h3]Circus as a metaphor[/h3] For a story told using paper cutouts, the beguilingly simple distraction-less game mechanic elevates the art of story telling. Journal is hard to describe, without spoiling the expertly written plotline that will have you lied to, believe it and then just as you accept you have been a sucker, you realise that you have lived the same plotline. And then it ends, it's that good. I'm not normally so excited to write a review, so I'll explain what I liked about this game/story right away and not spoil anything for you. [h3]Clean[/h3] [list][*]The soundtrack is just so well mixed to drive the mood exactly where it needs to go, every day has it's own sound that builds to an epic crescendo as the week progresses. It even had me walking back and forth just to see if I was reading the colour and tempo in each location correctly. Music thanks to Kevin MacLeod who hosts incompetech.com . [*]Narration : You have 2 narrators, this is a story about a young girl, and about a circus. So each has their own narrator, and they compete for different halves of your brain. Play it and you will find out why this works so well. [*]Hand drawn backgrounds, childlike, creating…

A solid narrative game doubling as a cool art project. Starts a bit awkwardly but finds its stride in chapter 3, then gets progressively more serious up until an effective ending that neatly ties everything together. The basis for its drama may be as old as time, but the story manages to freshen it up by focusing on a different kind of consequences, as well as by refusing to add any sort of superficial silver lining to them. Unlike with [url=https://store.steampowered.com/search/?tags=21&developer=Locked+Door+Puzzle]the other adventure titles[/url] by the same developer, you don’t need to solve any puzzles here, only walk around and talk to people. You’re also not in any danger of missing the author’s intent due to vague storytelling, because this time the message is articulated fully and clearly. And while the design might feel clunky or unruly (a flowery font that can be hard to read at first, a jump button that’s never needed yet still present for some reason, etc.), it doesn’t detract from the overall experience.

Whoa. The story was really well written. The dialogue was so real. It was written by people that understand the human experience, who understand all the nuances of life. So many things to unpack here. Very happy I stayed all the way through.

A nice little narrative experience, found it in my library and played it through for the achievements. I wasn't ready to get /this/ involved in the game. I'd recommend you get this game for an hour or two of entertainment, if you're into these kinds of games.

Lovely little story

Wonderfully written story-based game, highly recommended. It is definitely more melancholy than many, so just be aware.